Roseanne Barr’s daughter has opened up about her upbringing with the foul-mouthed comedian and blue-collar TV queen, who sent her to reform schools and mental health facilities for “acting out.”
Jenny Pentland, 45, revealed in an interview with People published on Wednesday that she was transferred to multiple reform schools, psychiatric clinics, and even a wilderness boot camp between the ages of 13 and 18.
In the article, she admitted to being imprisoned.
Pentland, who has since rebuilt her relationship with her parents Bill Pentland, goes into greater detail in her soon-to-be-published memoir, This Will Be Funny Later.
Barr’s daughter stated that she was expelled for “acting out,” which she attributed in part to the problems associated with her mother’s unexpected fame and popularity as the star of the long-running television series Roseanne.
She alleges that her parents chose a number of facilities to take her to because educational and behavioral specialists recommended them in the book, which will be published on January 18.
“I was obnoxious, cut my arms, and smoked cigarettes. I was also getting low grades. Simply put, I was down.”
Barr, 69, had three children with Pentland during their marriage, which lasted from 1974 until 1990. Jenny, Jessica, and Jake are their names. She then married comedian Tom Arnold, and they divorced in 1994.
She later married Ben Thomas, with whom she had a son, Jake, from 1995 until 2000. She also has a daughter named Brandi Brown, who was born before her first marriage.
Jenny Pentland claims in her book that her older sister was sent to a mental hospital in Los Angeles after robbing Barr of their car and taking it for a joyride.
“I think there was a fear of us spinning out of control,” she explained.
Pentland said she suffered from PTSD as a result of witnessing and experiencing mental and physical abuse at several of the facilities where she was placed.
She claimed that “the worst abuse I feel I suffered was having my free will taken away — the loss of freedom,” despite the fact that all of those facilities have now been closed or taken over by new administration.
She hopes that by being open about her adolescent experiences, more people would become aware of these destructive behaviors.
“These spots are still out there,” Pentland added, “and I don’t want it to continue. I no longer mourn the things I’ve lost. I think about what other people are losing right now or what they stand to lose if nothing changes.”
Pentland’s life has undoubtedly improved. She is married to Jeff, and the couple has five sons: Eitan (21), Cosmo (16), Otis (14), Buster (12), and Ezra (age 18 months).
She also stated that her relationship with both of her parents has become stronger over time.
Meanwhile, her mother has kept a low profile in the three years after the cancellation of her ABC show relaunch in May 2018 due to the comedian’s racial slur tweet directed at Valerie Jarrett, a former assistant to former President Barack Obama.
